Unit 2: Unit 2: Section ASection A Learning the Olympic Standard for LoveLearning the Olympic Standard for Love

Intensive Study

Learning the Olympic Standard for LoveLearning the Olympic Standard for Love by by Christa Case BryantChrista Case Bryant 11 Nikolai Petrovich Anikin was not half as intimidating as I had was not half as intimidating as I had imagined he would be. No, this surely was not the ex-Soviet coaimagined he would be. No, this surely was not the ex-Soviet coach my father had shipped me out to meet.ch my father had shipped me out to meet.22 But Nikolai he was, Petrovich and all. He invited me inside an. He invited me inside and sat down on the couch, patting the blanket next to him to get d sat down on the couch, patting the blanket next to him to get me to sit next to him. I was so nervous me to sit next to him. I was so nervous in his presence..

Intensive Study

3 “You are young,” he began in his Russian-style English. “If you like to try for Olympic Games, I guess you will be able to do this. Nagano Olympics too soon for you, but for 2002 in Salt Lake City, you could be ready.”4 “Yes, why not?” he replied to the shocked look on my face. I was a promising amateur skier, but by no means the top skier in the country. “Of course, there will be many hard training sessions, and you will cry, but you will improve.”5 To be sure, there were countless training sessions full of pain and more than a few tears, but in the five years that followed I could always count on being encouraged by Nikolai’s amusing stories and sense of humor.

Intensive Study

6 “My friends, they go in the movies, they go in the dance, they go out with girls,” he would start. “But I,” he would continue, lowering his voice, “I am practice, practice, practice in the stadium. And by the next year, I had cut 1-1/2 minutes off my time in the 15-kilometer race!”7 “My friends asked me, ‘Nikolai, how did you do it?’ And I replied, ‘You go in the movies, you go in the dance, you go out with girls, but I am practice, practice, practice.’”8 Here the story usually ended, but on one occasion, which we later learned was his 25th wedding anniversary, he stood proudly in a worn woolen sweater and smiled and whispered, “And I tell you, I am 26 years old before I ever kiss a girl! She was the woman I later marry.”

Intensive Study

9 Romantic and otherwise, Nikolai knew love. His consistent good humor, quiet gratitude, perceptivity, and sincerity set an Olympic standard for love that I continue to reach for, even though my skiing days are over.10 Still, he never babied me. One February day I had a massive headache and felt quite fatigued. I came upon him in a clearing, and after approximately 15 minutes of striding into the cold breeze over the whiter powder to catch him, I fussed, “Oh, Nikolai, I feel like I am going to die.”11 “When you are a hundred years old, everybody dies,” he said, indifferent to my pain. “But now,” he continued firmly, “Now must be ski, ski, ski.”

Intensive Study

12 And, on skis, I did what he said. On other matters, though, I was rebellious. Once, he packed 10 of us into a Finnish bachelor’s tiny home for a low-budget ski camp. We awoke the first morning to find Nikolai making breakfast and then made quick work with our spoons while sitting on makeshift chairs around a tiny card table. When we were finished, Nikolai stacked the sticky bowls in front of my sole female teammate and me, asserting, “Now, girls do dishes!” 13 I threw my napkin on the floor and swore at him, “Ask the damn boys! This is unfair.” He never asked this of me again, nor did he take much notice of my outburst. He saved his passion for skiing.

Intensive Study

14 When coaching, he would sing out his instructions keeping rhythm with our stride: “Yes, yes, one-two-three, one-two-three.” A dear lady friend of my grandfather, after viewing a copy of a video of me training with Nikolai, asked, “Does he also teach dance?”15 In training, I worked without rest to correct mistakes that Nikolai pointed out and I asked after each pass if it was better.16 “Yes, it’s OK. But the faster knee down, the better.”17 “But is it fast enough?” I’d persist.18 Finally he would frown and say, “Billion times you make motion – then be perfect,” reminding me in an I’ve-told-you-a-billion-times tone, “You must be patient.”

Intensive Study

19 Nikolai’s patience and my hard work earned me a fourth-place national ranking heading into the pre-Olympic season, but then I missed the cut for the 2002 Olympics.20 Last summer, I returned to visit Nikolai. He made me tea… and did the dishes! We talked while sitting on his couch. Missing the Olympic Team the previous year had made me pause and reflect on what I had gained – not the least of which was a quiet indissoluble bond with a short man in a tropical shirt.21 Nikolai taught me to have the courage, heart, and discipline to persist, even if it takes a billion tries. He taught me to be thankful in advance for a century of life on earth, and to remind myself every day that despite the challenges at hand, “Now must be love, love, love.”

Christa Case Bryant: Former Nordic ski racer now working as a journalist. Reported on Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

Besides his three Olympic medals, Nikolay Anikin(1932-2009) won a silver at the 1958 World Championships in Lahti in the 4x10 km relay race. His only Soviet Championship came in 1957, also in the relay. After his sporting days Anikin worked as a ski coach, coaching the 1964 and 1968 Soviet Olympic teams. After being a head coach of the Soviet cross-country skiing junior team for many years, he was a head coach of the Soviet senior team from 1982-84. From 1989-92 he worked as a consultant with the United States cross-country ski team. He and his wife, Antonina, moved to Duluth, Minnesota in 1994 to help start the emerging Gitchi Gummi Sport Association, where they taught a new generation of American Nordic skiers.

But Nikolai he was, Petrovich and all.

But anyway, he was exactly Nikolai Petrovich Anikin.

in one’s presence – in the same place as someone else

e.g.• I could think of little to say in the presence of so many

people.• I asked you not to smoke in my presence.

promising – showing signs of being successful in the future

• The boy is clever and hard-working; he must have a promising future.

• Intelligent and promising, students at this famous university are quite proud of themselves.

by no means – (used to emphasize a negative statement) not at all

• We are by no means satisfied with their reply.• By no means can teaching in school be separated from

practice.

count on – rely on; depend on

• I had thought I could count on the support of my family; but I was wrong.

• I always count on my father to cheer me up whenever I feel unhappy.

massive – large in size, quantity or extent

• People got angry at the evidence of massive cheating in business.

• The man with a massive forehead is our new manager.

fatigue

1. Make someone feel tired vt.• My new job really fatigued me during the first two mont

hs.• It took us a whole week to rest after the fatiguing travel.2. Great tiredness n.• He decided to quit his job because of fatigue.

come upon – meet or find someone or something by chance

• I came upon an old friend on the street.• He came upon a book he had always wanted to have.

fuss

1. Make a great deal of a small matter v.• It’s nothing serious, she’s just fussing.• She likes to fuss over everything.2. n. make a fuss – fuss • Don’t make a fuss, it’s just a small cut.

indifferent – not interested in; not caring

• How can you be so indifferent to the poor little girl?• Uncle John is a strong-minded adventurer, always

indifferent to hardships and dangers.

pack … into – put many people or things into a place so that it becomes very full

• Approximately 250 students were packed into the classroom and I found it hard to breathe.

makeshift – used as a substitute for the time

• We used coke cans as makeshift cups to drink coffee.

assert

1. State or declare forcefully• He asserted his ideas clearly at the board of directors.• He asserted that the girl had stolen his wallet.2. Make a claim to• People in that nation began to assert their right to

govern themselves.

swear

1. (at) curse• The woman swore at the waiter after he spilt coffee onto

her dress.• Lisa asked her husband to stop swearing in front of the

kids.2. Promise formally• I swear that I would never let the secret out.• The young man swore on his honor that he would be

loyal to his wife forever.

sing out – shout or sing some words clearly and loudly

• “See you this summer!” Jimmy sang out as the train began to move.

• Having passed the final exams, students felt relaxed and sang out their plans for the summer.

persist

1. continue firmly in spite of opposition or warning• If you persist in being late for work, you will be fired.• The teacher persisted in working regardless of his

illness.2. Continue to exist• I wonder how long the problems will persist.• We hope the good weather will persist for at least one

week.

rank

1. Have a particular position in a list of people or things• This small city ranks high among tourist spots.• I rank all other Chinese poets below Li Bai.2. Decide the position of someone or something (based on i

mportance or quality)• All cups were ranked neatly.• The owner of the bookstore was ranking books on the sh

elf.

… I missed the cut for …

“miss cut” is originally a term in golf, which means that a player fails to hit the golf ball into the hole. In the sentence “miss the cut” means the writer failed to be selected to take part in the 2002 Olympic Games.

reflect on – think deeply about; consider carefully

• Sitting in the kitchen, the mother reflected on the future of her child.

• Reflecting on those nice days, Elizabeth couldn’t help giving out a sigh.

indissoluble – which cannot be separated or broken up; lasting

• I always feel myself blessed for the indissoluble friendship between us.

in advance – beforehand

• I paid for the ticket in advance.• You have to think over all possibilities in advance

before taking action.